U of M researcher urges sense of perspective on Wuhan coronavirus

As fear of the Wuhan coronavirus builds, a Saskatoon-born researcher thinks it’s important to take a step back.

Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, a professor of emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, compared the virus to the common flu.

As of Wednesday, 17 have died from the Wuhan strain. Kindrachuk said around 500,000 people are killed by influenza every year. Because of this, he thinks panic isn’t the right reaction.

“(Influenza) is, very much, the ‘forgotten disease,’ ” he told 650 CKOM’s Brent Loucks. “We do actually encounter viruses like this on a daily basis.”

He said the two illnesses are also quite similar in their effect on the body.

“The 17 fatalities predominantly were people that had underlying medical issues. That’s not surprising: People that get respiratory viruses, whether it’s this coronavirus or influenza, that’s the population that tends to be hit the hardest. We see a lot of mild or asymptomatic cases as well,” he explained.

“In a lot of ways, it does mimic flu.”

Kindrachuk clarified that he doesn’t mean to downplay the new virus.

“We want to be vigilant (and) we want to be cautious with what’s going on in the situation, but we also need to put this into perspective,” he said.